


We Break to Grow

by JustCharlieBruh



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: ??? possibly, Alternate Universe, F/F, Hanahaki AU, Happy Ending, I don't know how many chapters there will be, I promise, Kaito is an idiot I'm so sorry, Kaito why are you so dumb, M/M, Post-Conan Kudou Shinichi, Shinichi's so patient with him omg, Slow Burn, Thanks Kaishin Discord for believing in me, There is blood in this story as Shinichi's condition gets really bad, but possibly more than two, pls pray for Shinichi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-05 14:58:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13390287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustCharlieBruh/pseuds/JustCharlieBruh
Summary: It starts when Shinichi catches himself staring at Kid, cursing himself to the deepest pits of Hell for getting a crush on the Phantom Thief.It ends with Kaito gratefully thanking every deity he can think of that he's allowed the chance to wake up next to Shinichi for the rest of their lives, even after all the mistakes he's made.(In which Kaito is an oblivious idiot, being Kudo Shinichi is suffering, and all of Beika is on a manhunt for Kaitou Kid.)(p.s Title is from an amazing work by Pavana)





	1. Pull the Petals from Your Lips

It starts when he catches himself staring at Kid.

(It wouldn't be odd though, to stare at Kid.  Kid is fascinating, a kind enigma of a man that’s a breath of fresh air, far kinder than the usual criminals he’d chase.Kid is a whirlwind, a walking contradiction that surprises Shinichi every time, a man Shinichi doesn’t mind completely trusting with his life.)

The sweating palms, blushing, elevated heart rate, Shinichi knows the signs of attraction towards another person when he sees them. Knows that what he has for Kid is dangerous, because he doesn’t even know his rival’s name, doesn’t know the man behind the illusion. His chest tightens and his heart sinks to his stomach, regretting ever taunting Kid that first night and creating a bond with him.

* * *

Shinichi believes that he knows Death, has always known Death since childhood, except he hasn’t. Not really. Death has striking indigo eyes and wears a white suit, he learns. As deep blue petals leave his lips, he catches his eye in the mirror and vows to never tell Kid, lest the Phantom Thief actually starts feeling guilty about something for once in his life.

* * *

Shinichi wakes to the smell of coffee and tea. His heart quickens in fear for a moment, before rationalizing that Ran liked tea, Ran had a key to his house after he changed the lock, and Ran was the only one who would have made him coffee. Praying that he was right, he stretches and clambers out of bed towards the sitting room. His lungs spasm for a second as he coughs out another blue primrose. Ran finds him hunched over on the stairs, primrose at his feet as he clutches his chest.

“Shinichi..” She murmurs. He doesn’t want to look and see the pity in her eyes, so he just lowers himself to sit on the step, nudging the flower out of the way. Ran only sits next to him and pulls him into a hug. He tries to ignore the sting in his eyes and the hitch in his breathing, tries to ignore the spasming in his lungs when he spares a moment to think about Kid. Except he can’t. So he sobs into Ran’s shoulder, not wanting to be in love with Kid, because even though he trusts the man with his life, he’s terrified to trust him with his heart. He doesn’t want Kid to treat it like a game as he would with everything else.

It takes a few moments for Shinichi to come back to himself, but by then, Ran’s herded them onto the couch, sipping lukewarm tea. She presses into his side, shoulder completely drenched, yet she doesn’t even seem concerned about the mess he’s made. He pushes back the tears that threaten to spill, how in the world can she still be there for him, still so comforting even though he’s the one who disappeared and left her worrying day and night, not being able to tell her that he was by her side the whole time.

“Hey,” She says, jabbing a manicured finger at his thigh, he flinches at the pain. “All you said was that you needed to talk.” Ran sits up, narrowing her eyes and Shinichi feels a chill run down his spine, this isn’t Ran-the-best-friend, this is Ran-the-big-sister. (Perhaps, Shinichi thinks fondly, she sees Conan in him. Maybe that’s why she’s taking this in stride.)

“Well, as you can see, I’ve contracted the Hanahaki disease.” She nods, watching his every move with hawk-like intensity.

“Uhm, I’ve…” He sighs, rubbing at his forehead, why was this so difficult? Was he scared of Ran finding out he liked someone of the same gender? No, not really, Was he scared of what she’d do when she finds out he’s in love with a criminal? _Yes_. She’d try to have him reveal his feelings or something worse, except, he’s already lied too much. The least he can do is let her know who he’s got feelings for, right?

“I’ve, uh, I’ve got feelings for Kid.” Even just mentioning him has Shinichi fighting back the tickle in his throat. Ran stares, disbelieving, until he can’t hold it in and coughs another primrose right into his hands. He doesn’t realize he’s shaking until Ran steadies him, doesn’t taste the petal until Ran pulls it from between his lips. He just stares at the innocuous looking flower as Ran, his sister in arms that she is, mutters platitudes he can’t hear through the static of his own heartbeat.

By Holmes, he absolutely hates everything about this.

* * *

 It’s colder than most nights, Shinichi notes, pulling his overcoat tighter around him. Kaito Kid stands across from him, no sign of any extra layers or even heating pads.

“You’ll freeze out here, idiot. At least put on a few extra layers and call it a winter version or something..” The words spill from his lips before he can stop himself. He looks away, trying to force his blush back down, yet most likely fails as Kid starts stalking forward with a predatory grin that’d look perfectly at home on a lion. “My, my, Meitantei, is that concern I hear? From the Great Detective of the East?”

Shinichi honestly tries not to look too hard for any actual hatred or anything negative in those words. (He fails, knowing he’ll think about every word Kaito says tonight, like he does every night until they meet again.) He startles when he realizes that Kid is literally right in front of him, so close he has to strain his neck a little to meet the other’s eyes. He lets out a little shudder, fighting back against the urge to cough up another flower.

“A lot of people love you, y’know. It’d be a shame if the great Kaitou Kid got taken down by a common cold.” Shinichi gives Kid a smile, against his better judgement, and for a moment, everything feels right. Yet, his lungs spasm, harder than they have before and he almost doubles over in pain, barely feeling Kid gently grasping his shoulders. (As if he’s something special.)

The flower doesn’t leave his system, not yet, so all Shinichi can do is try and take in a deep breath and straighten himself. So he does, he tries not to think about how even though he’s got on extra layers, he can still feel Kid’s warmth through all of it.

“Careful, Meitantei. Take deep breaths, nice and slow.” So he does, he struggles at first, breathing with a flower still stuck in his lungs, but he manages. By the end of it, he can fake breathing normally, can handle the pain for a bit, but he knows that the flower will need to come out soon. “You know, you’ve got a lot of people who love you. You  can’t forget to take care of yourself, especially with such a bad cold.”

Shinichi can only pull away and chuckle bitterly, the soft noise hidden by the wind howling around them.

* * *

_“You didn’t tell him?!"_

“It’s not that easy, Ran. I literally had a coughing fit that sent me straight into his arms and he thought it was a _cold_.” There’s a beat of silence on the other end as Sonoko quiets down and he can hear the both of them audibly wince. He lets out a huge sigh, leaning against the wall. “Listen, I think I’m just going to go and lie down, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

 _“...Okay, goodnight Shinichi, rest well.”_  He murmurs a response, smiling at Sonoko’s ‘Go to bed, Detective freak!’ before he hangs up the phone and putters off to bed.

* * *

The days blend together. Wake up. Cough up a flower or two. Cry a bit. Try not to think about Kid. Cough up another flower. Drink some coffee. Drink some more coffee. Go over case files. Realize there’s no groceries, go out and get some. Stumble onto a crime scene or three. Call in Megure and the crew, solve the crime(s). Go home, try not to burn down the house while cooking. Cough up another flower, throw it somewhere. Go over more cases. Go to bed, Rinse, repeat.

It’s like the only times he’s actually alive are when he’s with someone else or at heists. He lets out a sigh and runs a hand through his hair, he’s so pathetic. He tries not to think about how the coughs get wetter as the days progress.

(Surprisingly, he succeeds.)

* * *

Being as _accident-prone_ as he is between heists, Shinichi has a lot of people looking out for him. So when they notice his downward spiral into depression and the ever-growing getting-bloodier-by-the-day mountain of flowers, they know that have to do something. The question is: What do they do to keep him from slipping further and how do they find the person causing him to be like this? Despite what Shinichi believes, they _see_ the flowers and the wistful looks and they see the _pain_ in his eyes.

“You can’t keep going like this, Kudo-kun.” Haibara snarks out as she sets the plates for dinner. Shinichi’s pouring through more cold cases that Megure allowed him to have at the table, barely dodging a plate she slams down nearby. Akai-san, no longer needing no be Subaru, putters around the kitchen and Shinichi pretends he can’t feel either of their gazes burning into the sides of his skull.

“She’s right, Shinichi-kun. Your feelings for that person will kill you.” The FBI Agent sets a platter of that night’s dinner in front of him, pinning him down with a dead stare. The man clears his throat, speaking louder than he needs to, which Shinichi considers odd until he catches the glint of a black little dot near one of his potted plants. His heart sinks. “You should get the operation before it gets any worse.”

“It’s not that bad..” He counters weakly, before flinching at Haibara gently placing her chopsticks on the table.

“The flowers are getting bloodier by the day, Kudo-kun.” She starts off softly, standing on her chair to look down at him. There’s a wetness around her eyes that seems far too real to be a trick of the light. “Are you just going to throw away your life after fighting tooth and nail just to come back?!”

Shinichi can only give her a defeated smile in response. Wetting his lips, he asks, “Do you know the meaning the primrose flower, Haibara?”

* * *

In Ekoda, one Kuroba Kaito chokes on his own dinner. The black earpiece almost falling out from his hurried movements to clear his airway, he presses it back into his ear.

 _“I’m afraid I don’t, Kudo-kun.”_ The little lady’s voice is wet, but not annoyed enough for Kaito to worry enough about his friend’s safety. Yet he worries anyways, from how the whole conversation has been going, Meitantei caught feelings for someone and refuses to go in despite everyone around him pleading for him to do so. Well, if Kaito were there, he would have joined along and urged Shinichi to go in as soon as possible. Shinichi is too bright of a light to waste away just because some idiot doesn’t love him.

“ _It means ‘I can’t live without you’. Isn’t that just so funny?”_ The bitterness in the detective’s voice makes him wince. He lets out a huge sigh, leaning back in his chair, stomach turning in worry.

* * *

Hours later, with Haibara safely escorted next door and Akai-san given a guest room nearby, Shinichi’s in the middle of brushing his teeth when the next spasm hits. He thinks it unfair, because he wasn’t even thinking about the stupid thief, he was just thinking about the heist tomorrow night. His lungs seize up and minty foam goes everywhere as he dry heaves into the sink.

Faintly, he hears the hurried footsteps of one overprotective FBI Agent and feels the rush of wind as the door slams open. Strong arms catch him, carefully lowering him to the floor. He takes a huge deep breath in, letting himself appreciate air for once. With another shaky breath, his lungs spasm again and the last thing he sees before the darkness takes him is blood and Akai-san’s worried face.


	2. Pick Your Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shinichi is stubborn and Kaito makes a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! Please let me know if there are any mistakes or grammar errors and I'll do my best to fix those right away!

Shinichi wakes up the next evening to a room full of flowers and an asleep Ran holding his hand, awkwardly folded up on a nearby chair. Carefully, he detaches himself from her grasp and stares at the clock. Six p.m, two hours still the start of the heist. If he hurries in getting ready, he can catch the next train to Ekoda and-

“You’re not going anywhere, Kudo-niisan.” The sharp voice startles him and he almost topples out of bed. He looks to the doorway to find Haibara walking in, Sonoko trailing behind him with a tray full of food.

“I know Kid-sama’s heist is tonight, but you’re definitely in no shape to go running around after him, Detective Freak!” She sets the tray down and does a stupid pose that looks like it should belong in some B-rated action movie. “We’ll catch him for you and drag him back so you can confess and cure your Hanahaki!”

Shinichi can’t help it, he laughs. It’s not cynical or tired, just pure laughter, loud enough to wake up Ran and he should feel guilty at doing so, except Sonoko’s antics are just so full of hope. He can’t find it in him to snark back, he only gives her a small smile. “I thought no one else was supposed to have Kid but you?”

“I’ve got Makoto-kun, plus...plus this is literally life and death for you. So, I don’t mind letting you have him, it keeps both of you in my life, so that’s a double win!” She gives him a big grin as Ran wipes the last of the sleep dust from her eyes. He barely dodges a fist as Ran almost lunges at him.

“Whoa, Ran-!” He only gets out her name before being put in a surprisingly gentle headlock.

“Do you know how worried I was?” Her voice is thick with tears and Shinichi starts panicking. He looks to Haibara and Sonoko for help, only for them to look away. Thanks guys, he thinks, before being forcefully pulled into a hug. “I was so scared when I came over, seeing all that blood and Ai-chan trying to wake you, but you wouldn’t-!”

He awkwardly pats her arm, trying to keep himself from coughing up another flower in her presence. He probably makes some aborted gesture as Haibara suddenly steps forward, pointing to the clock. 

“Suzuki-neechan, don’t you need to go and get ready so you can give Kid a piece of your mind?” And Sonoko lets out the loudest gasp before moving so fast, Shinichi almost thinks she teleports.

“You’re right, Ai-chan! Come on, Ran, we’ve got to go get ready!” With an enormous show of strength, the both of them are out the door, Sonoko almost knocking off a worn Sherlock Holmes poster with all her force. “Don’t push yourself, Detective Freak!”

With a shaky wave goodbye, he closes his eyes and coughs the flower out, he doesn’t see Ran’s eyes widen at the amount of blood spilling from between his fingers before she’s yanked down the hall.

Haibara only throws a towel at him, which he uses to wipe off the blood that hasn’t already spilled onto his blanket. She glares at him and sighs, moving to stand next to him. There’s a beat of silence and then

“When will you get the operation?” He can only shuffle awkwardly, not meeting her eyes. She takes a deep breath in and punches his shoulder.

“I woke up to Akai busting down my bedroom door with an unresponsive you in his arms. The both of you were covered in blood and apparently your attack was larger than your usual ones. Four flowers, instead of the usual one or two, we had to manually pull the last two from you mouth. That is something I never wish to experience again.” He watches her take a deep breath, calming herself down. “ So, Kudo-kun, when are you getting the operation?”

He nervously scratches at his cheek, before nodding resolutely to himself. He wasn’t going to get the operation and he wasn’t going to confess either, he was content with where he was with Kid. (No, he actually wasn’t, but believing that lie keeps him alive a little longer, keeps him strong enough to run after the man.) Apparently, the silence is enough of an answer for his tiny mad scientist as she only looks away.

“Then you explain to Agase-Hakase and your parents why you’re dying. It’s not my fault this time, I won’t tell them for you.” And she just quietly walks out of the room, gently closing the door behind her. Shinichi swallows past a lump of guilt in his throat, doing his best to hold back the tears. He turns to the food on his bedside table and takes small bites, not wanting to upset his stomach.

* * *

 It’s about half an hour before the heist starts when he heads for the front door, only to find Haibara blocking his path.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Her eyes narrow and he finds himself fearing for his life.

“Uh, to go put the dishes back?” She crosses her arms and starts tapping a foot like a disappointed mother.

“The dishes you put back earlier?” She deadpans and he flushes, “if you’re thinking about going to the heist, forget it. You’ve had two major coughing fits in the past half hour and look like you’re about to keel over.”

He’s about to complain before she steps forward and pokes him in the stomach.

“Go back to bed before I make you, Kudo-kun. You need to rest, doctor’s orders.” So he does, disappointed and slightly touched that she cares so much.

He barely remembers slinking up the stairs, and he falls asleep before his head even touches the pillow.

* * *

 Shinichi awakens to his window swinging open and cold air biting into his skin. He shivers and burrows into his bed for a bit before pouting up at one shocked looking Kid. The moon high in the sky tells him it’s almost midnight, the silence in the rest of the house means that either Haibara has gone back next door or she went to sleep herself. Kid is standing stone still in front of his open window, so he starts the conversation.

“Kid..?” He fights back a yawn, scrunching his nose at the taste of blood at the back of his throat. Kid makes some sort of strangled noise at the back of his throat and looks like he’s mentally rebooting, so Shinichi takes some time to sit up and rub any sleep dust away from his eyes.

“Oh..Uh, right. Meitantei.” He nods, yes, he is in fact the one Kid calls Meitantei. He almost wants to go right up to the man and check if he’s sick. (Sure, the thief takes his sweet time with explanations sometimes, but he’s never been so speechless before.) Almost being the keyword, as another flower stops him in his tracks. The coughs are wet and bloody, his body doubling over from the force and he can taste the petals. His eyes close almost immediately and he’s grateful. Shinichi doesn’t want to see the other man’s face right now. He doesn’t want the horror or the pity or any of it. The detective scrunches himself into a ball, almost hiding his face completely in his lap and definitely smearing it with some blood.

He doesn’t hear Kid move, only feels the cool gloves unfolding him and setting the bloody towel aside. Only feels a cool glove rest against his forehead and he sighs, tensing for a moment before leaning into it.

“Sorry...As you can see I caught...It’s been getting a bit bad lately.” He focuses on the Sherlock Holmes poster Sonoko almost knocked over, refusing to meet his eyes. Could anyone blame him if he didn’t want to look at the reason why he was violently coughing up flowers?

"That’s alright, Meitantei.” The pause of silence makes him look back to find Kid nibbling on his lip and Shinichi would have blushed if he had enough blood to do so. Instead, he lets Kid think out his words and folds up the bloody towel, placing the new flowers on top. “Meitantei, have you thought about getting the surgery?”

No, he wants to answer, because I’m scared I might change and so will our friendship. I don’t want any of it to change. Except he doesn’t, he just mumbles out, “Yeah, although, I was thinking on waiting a bit...Just in case.”

“Meitantei, these feelings shouldn’t cost you your life. You should do it as quickly as possible.” Shinichi only turns away, grabbing a fistful of blanket because it just hurts. Everything about this situation sucks and it hurts and Shinichi wishes there was a way to go back in time to warn himself as Conan not to catch feelings for the thief next to him. Said thief sighs, most likely frustrated and Shinichi wants to apologize, yet he only stays quiet. Hopefully signifying the end of _that_ conversation.

“Listen, I’m sorry for pushing, it’s just worrisome when one of my best friends coughs up that much blood because an idiot doesn’t love them back.” Kid pulls him into a one-armed hug and Shinichi can’t decide whether he wants to laugh or cry.

“Best friend? Kid, I don’t even know your real identity.” He lets himself relax and rest his head on the other’s shoulder. Maybe he could just have this little moment, just this once. The gloved hand moves to his neck, thumb rubbing at the base of his skull and easing so much tension. He almost goes boneless.

“Do you need my identity to know the true me?”

Shinichi scoffs, before pouting childishly. “It’d be nice to have a name, Kid.”

“You have Kaitou, isn’t that enough?” He mulls it over for a moment. The silence stretches and grows comfortable until he smiles.

“Yeah, I guess so. Anyways, since I missed the heist, I think I’ll just ask now. How was your day?”

“Well,” Kid grins, “the heist was boring without you. Got the jewel, played a few good pranks, escaped without any worry.” Shinichi hums, before reaching for the towel and finds his hand blood stained. “Here, Meitantei, let me.”

With a snap, it’s replaced almost instantly with a fresh one that he’s never seen before. He scrunches his nose up a bit. “I hope you didn’t keep that towel somewhere on your person.”

“Nah, it’s in your bathroom.” And Kid grabs the towel, dabbing at the drying blood. Shinichi would blush if the thought wasn’t ruined by the lower half of his face being covered in blood. They make eye contact and Kid jumps, dropping the towel. “Sorry, Meitantei, I should have let you do that by yourself.”

Shinichi only pretends he’s not disappointed and begins where Kid left off. “So, what about the rest of your day?” It’s a bit muffled, but Kaitou hears it anyways as he seems to start beaming.

“Oh, you know, I got to hang out with one of my best friends who has the most beautiful blue eyes in the world.” He honestly can’t help it when a huge smile breaks out on his face, so he just hides it in the towel. “Yeah, I’ve been in love with her for the longest time. She’s really great, I think you’d love her if you ever got the chance to meet. Gods, she always roots for you whenever we go head to head, isn’t that unfair?”

The world burns, or at least it feels like it does. (He knows he's being overdramatic, but isn't he allowed to be?) His eyes start stinging as the tears form and he lets them fall. He rubs at his chest once, twice, as his stomach starts churning. His heartbeat thumps in his ears as his lungs spasm violently again, he doesn’t see where he falls. Only feels Kid’s arms around him and he doesn’t want to be there, not now, not like this.

Faintly, he hears Kid’s panicking shouts and feels another flower leave his lips. He doesn’t even fight the darkness, just lets himself be taken. Anything to get away from whatever this was now. The last thing he remembers is fervently wishing for Kid to leave, for him not to be seen like this.

He doesn't hear the shouting match between Kid and Haibara.


	3. And the Penny Starts to Drops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Akako realizes she's made a miscalculation, Kaito gets his shit together, and the manhunt starts for Shinichi's mystery man.

The sun is just shy of rising when Kaito breaks into his own house. He lands onto his bed with a rush of air leaving his lungs. His blood still boiling after the slight argument he got into with the little miss. Anything even remotely related to Kid gets stuff into secret cubbies and even then, they get smoothed out and unwrinkled, he doesn’t have the heart to crumple his father’s legacy just to release some anger. His stomach flips as the scene replays in his head.

* * *

It’s in the middle of his rambling on about Aoko that Meitantei crumbles, folds against him as the fresh towel gets soaked with even more blood. Panicking, he moves closer, if only to try and help somehow. His heart aches as he sees the other crying, as the other coughs up a flower bloodier than before. And then Meitantei closes his eyes, and goes slack, and Kid doesn’t realize he’s hurriedly shaking him and calling for help until the little miss almost breaks down the door.

She takes one look and rushes forward, almost knocking him out of the way.

“What did _you_ do?” The question stalls his brain, not used to being spoken to with so much venom. He stumbles over an answer, shrinking back. Small fingers focus over Meitantei’s pulse and he watches her sag in relief. It doesn’t stop her from glaring up at him and poking him in the chest. “What the hell did you do?!”

He bristles for a second, angry that she’d accuse him of ever hurting the young man in his arms. “I didn’t do anything! I was telling him about my day he asked!”

She snarls and Kaito rears back, holding the unconscious detective close. “Put him down, Kid, and _get out._ ”

“Not until I know he’s okay! I refuse!” Stubbornly, he clutches onto the unconscious body, dragging the both of them away from the bed. She steps forward and Kaito takes another step back, almost tripping on his cape.

“Just put him down before you make everything worse!” His eyes narrow at that and something in him cries out not to to take the bait, that it wouldn’t be smart to do this here. He ignores it, for some messed up reason, he just blurts out, “Like you did when you made the poison that ruined his life?”

She stops, most likely in shock, most likely about to murder him. Honestly, he feels the urge to just to shut himself up or to shake himself and ask where all this is coming from. Yes, he may have had these thoughts once in a while, but he would never voice them. That’s not how a gentleman goes about his business. He watches the little miss take a deep breath, almost throwing the comforter off the bed with one yank, sending bloody towel and all flying. “At least I’m not the one he’s love with, I’m not the one killing him this time.”

He almost doesn’t hear the whisper, so occupied with trying to clean up the blood on Meitantei’s face with one of his handkerchiefs. He grumbles, “Then why don’t you get mad at them? I’m not the one you should be taking your rage out on.”

Haibara sighs, something she does a lot around him, looking tired. Only points to the bed as she scoops up the bloody towel. “Just...put him back on the bed and get me my med-kit from the kitchen. Then _leave_ , Kid.”

So he does. He gently places the detective onto his bed and takes a moment to brush stray hair out of his face.(He’s only repaying a favor. Honest, since Meitantei did the same once at a heist when he pretended to be unconscious.) And then quickly moves through the house, scooping up the med-kit, returning to find Shinichi being tucked in. He almost smiles at the sight, almost, as he’s hit with another wave of intense emotion. (He leaves it nameless, feeling too much to even begin describing it.)

Kaitou Kid cleans off the last of the blood as the tiny doctor begins taking out different equipment and leaves through the open window not soon after.

He doesn’t see the doctor roll her eyes so hard, one might think she’d see the back of her skull.

* * *

Shinichi wakes up (again), tucked in and free of any of the mess he’d made the night before. The sun is shining and and the house is alive with noise. He can hear his mother’s humming, smells the bacon being cooked, and can almost envision his father sipping at a cup of coffee as he reads his newspaper. Like they used to when he was younger.

He sits up slowly, apprehensive to move after fainting twice in the span of two to four days and coughing up so much blood. Only to feel a twinge as he stretches, so he looks down and staring back up at him is a bandage held to him by some colorful looking tape. _Most likely a blood transfusion after all the blood loss._ And the door opens, in walks Haibara and his parents, his mother holding a pair of now clean towels and his father holding a tray full of more iron rich foods than were usually appropriate for breakfast.

“Shin-chan!” The screech echoes around the room as Shinichi winces at the towels flying, at the noise, at Haibara being shoved almost off her feet if it weren’t for his father bracing her. “My little boy! We were so worried when we heard from the Professor and Ai-chan that you had caught the Hanahaki disease. And when we had arrived, you were still asleep and there was blood all over the bathroom-!”

He doesn’t even notice his father, more like he can’t as his mother strangles the life out of him, walking up. The tray is placed on his bedside table and a hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Yukiko, let him breathe. Why, Shinichi’s barely even woken up.”

“Yu-chan!” His mother whines, only to pause as Shinichi brings her in for a hug.

“Thanks, Kaa-san, Tou-san.” His arm twinges slightly, but that doesn’t stop a soft smile from appearing on his face.

“You shouldn’t thank us for coming home, Shinichi.” And his father ruffles his hair before adjusting his glasses. Haibara only clears her throat, looking mildly annoyed. “Now, if you’re done? I have a check up to perform.”

* * *

Kaito wakes up to his head feeling foggy and his alarm blaring. He rubs at his forehead, trying to recall what happened the night before. He frowns, only being able to remember flashes of emotion. Determination, then fondness, and then anger? He huffs, slightly unnerved when his phone starts lighting up. He squawks, suddenly remembering that he had lunch plans with Akako and Aoko, and scrambles to get ready.

* * *

Kaito squirms in his seat, foul mood returning slightly, only for him to mentally trap it in a cage and toss it somewhere deep inside himself. He doesn’t need to blow up at Akako or something in the middle of such a busy cafe just because Aoko had to cancel on them to help Hakubaka with something. He frowns at rubs at his forehead, sneaking a peek at Akako. Only to find the Red Sorceress frowning too.

“What’s wrong, Akako? Your buddy not giving you good information or something?” She shakes her head, brows furrowing in thought. The silence stretches between them, until the waiter comes by with their orders. He murmurs his thanks, cutting into his triple chocolate almost immediately.

“The stars are out of alignment, Kuroba-kun.” Red eyes narrow at him. “What have you done?”

“Why do people keep asking me that?” He grumbles out, sitting back.

“Because Death is still dying, even after I’ve meddled.” His eyes narrow at that and he wants to ask so many questions, but he can’t. Because that means he’ll owe something later on. So he focuses on just one, “What do you mean even after you’ve meddled? What did _you_ do, Akako?”

“Lucifer told me. Of how you were fond of Death and of how Death was dying. That if you weren’t pushed forward, Death would waste away and you’d hate yourself for allowing it.” She clears her throat, taking a sip of whatever tea she had ordered. “To prevent that future, I cast two spells upon you. One to heighten emotions to give you courage to confess your love, and a truth serum in case you tried to lie. Yet it seems that Death is still dying and you’ve angered more than just the Herald. So, Kuroba Kaito, what have you done?”

“Whoa, how does me liking…How is me caring for him as a friend important? Why does it have any correlation with him dying?” Akako smacks a hand to her forehead and doesn’t speak to him until it’s time to go to dinner with Aoko and Hakubaka.

* * *

Shinichi’s coughing up another flower when Sera busts his door open, almost throwing it off the hinges. Ran and Sonoko follow closely behind as she plops down on his bed.

“Heard about Kid,” She starts and everyone collectively winces, “that’s pretty rough. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He pauses to cough and nods his thanks when Ran wipes away some blood. “You're not the one I’m in love with.”

Sera’s the only one who laughs at that and Shinichi’s grateful.

“Good, because then you’d have to fight Ran and you’d die.” Ran hits her on the arm as Sonoko giggles. Shinichi just closes his eyes and lets himself wallow in the peaceful feeling blooming in his chest. It almost makes him forget that everything else is falling apart.

The room falls silent and he cracks an eye open to find the girls staring at him, all of them wearing varying shades of red on their faces. “What?” He murmurs, speaking softly not to break the tension.

“Kaitou Kid’s a fucking idiot is what.” Sera mumbles. Ran murmurs an agreement with her girlfriend as Sonoko snaps a picture before stepping forward and tugging his sweatshirt up over his shoulder. Oh. He didn’t even notice it hanging off, he starts blushing himself and all three of them make a strangled noise. “Thanks, Sonoko…”

“No problem, Detective Freak…” Sonoko says sheepishly as Sera slams a fist into her palm, declaring, “I’m gonna kill that thief.”

“Please don’t, Sera. Just because he’s a bit dense doesn’t mean he deserves death.”

“Neither do you, Shinichi. Please, at least try to get the operation soon.” Ran gives him a smile as she places a hand on Sera’s shoulder, trying to calm the other girl down.

Shinichi only gives her a wry smile. Ran’s heart breaks a bit at the sight.

* * *

Hakuba’s phone buzzes all through dinner, to the point that he’s stopped getting up out of his hair to go check and just keeps it open. Kaito strains his neck, he sees messages, _a lot_ of messages. Then the screen goes black and the glare Hakuba gives him secretly scares him.

“Don’t you know it’s rude to peek at someone’s phone while they’re not looking?” The blond’s eyes narrow and he can’t help staring back, confused. Kaito snarks at him. “You’re looking now, aren’t you? Why’s your phone blowing up anyways?”

“It’s a situation with one of my classmate’s childhood friends, one Kudo Shinichi. I assume you’re very well acquainted with him?” Hakuba sits back and Kaito feels a bead of sweat drip down his neck. Akako’s giving him a pretty mean side eye as Aoko just stares confused.

“Kudo-kun?” Aoko cuts in, sweet precious Aoko that she is, setting her own utensils down. “Ran-chan’s been messaging you too, huh?”

“Not just Ran-kun, Aoko-kun, but the whole of Division One as well. They want my help in hunting down Kudo-kun’s mystery man so they can _talk._ ” Hakuba sighs, rubbing at his forehead. “Yet Ran-kun also promised not to tell them that said mystery man is Kaitou Kid.” Here, both Aoko and Kaito let out strangled noises.

“Kudo-kun’s in love with that no-good thief?!” She almost stands up in outrage as Kaito continues coughing. “Aoko can’t believe it!”

Yeah, neither can Kaito funnily enough.

And that's when both Aoko's and Hakuba's phones light up with one photo message from a certain Suzuki Sonoko. (The whole of Division One and Two is thrown into chaos and Kaito can't help feeling uneasy for the next few days.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe there may be three more chapters left and then the epilogue? Still, thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Please don't forget to leave a Kudos or even a comment on your thoughts about the chapter. Thank you again! (The ending feels a bit off, but at least it sort of isn't a cliffhanger???)


	4. The Hunt for the Flower Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Man Hunt is explained a bit more, Heiji may have gotten slightly shot, and both Shinichi and Kaito are suffering a bit more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit all those hits
> 
> Also, sorry I can't type with accents.

Hattori Heiji knows that alleyways are bad ideas with his type of luck. And despite being a teenage detective whose said to be very smart (most of the time.), he’s allowed to have bad ideas. This has to be one, he thinks, dizzy from blood loss as some ahou takes off with his wallet.  He leans against most likely unsanitary brick and faintly hears some poor lady scream from the mouth of the alley as another man rushes down to check on him.

Damnit.

He just wanted to check on Kudo.

* * *

Kaito (understandably) stays away from the Kudou residence for the next few days. He doesn’t really leave his house either, what with both Divisions One and Two combing Tokyo on their time off. (From what he hears from Aoko anyways, when she joins her father in the hunt.) Suddenly, he's very glad that there wasn't a heist for the next few weeks or so. Just the thought of facing off against two Divisions sends chills down his spine, especially when he remembers how they often just want to  _talk_.

Instead, he hides in the Kid Cave for a few hours a day to think, where it’s safest for him. Except not really, because even his mother is angry after hearing the news from Aoko. She’s been unrelentingly serving fi-fi-finny things for the past three days, which he guesses he deserves. But he doesn’t think he deserves the three hour daily talks with finny things at his feet. Maybe he does, after going over it again in his head.

Mom had had hanahaki after Oyaji had passed away and she had to get surgery from what she told him at the beginning of his scolding. No wonder she was so deeply affected. Kaito buries his face in his hands after thinking over his actions again. The flirting, the blue eyes in his dreams that he thought were Aoko’s, the protectiveness, and even the night he can’t remember very well. He’s been in love with _Shinichi_ this whole time. Gods, he fucked this up so bad.

* * *

Division One is in slight uproar when they get the call from Dispatch. Maybe officers are still out, looking for Shinichi's mystery man so they could all have a friendly chat. Sato-keiji often cracks her knuckles threateningly in the corner of the room that makes even her fanclub slight afraid of her. 

Still.

Gunshot victim found at the mouth of an alley, most likely mugger. A young man from Osaka named-

Megure sighs, because of course it's Hattori Heiji who gets shot.

* * *

It’s just after Shinichi’s coughed up another flower that he got the call.

“Are you sure, Keibu?” He almost throws his towel across the room, trying to find a shirt to put on.

“Shinichi-kun, please, don’t strain-” Megure’s voice is almost drowned by the sirens of the ambulance. “Yes, Hattori-kun was mugged and injured, but he’ll be alright. The paramedics got there fast enough to keep him stable after the gunshot had attracted those who notified us and stayed with him until the ambulance came.

“Which hospital, Keibu?” He growls out, plucking a petal from his lips.

“Shinichi-kun I-” Shinichi finds a clean enough button up and slips it on.

“He got hurt when coming to visit me, because I got this stupid disease, I’m going to catch the asshole that did this to him.” He pauses, pulling away to cough another flower up, ignoring the concerned calls of the inspector.

“Shinichi-kun, you should be resting, not pushing yourself to catch the culprit. That’s what we should be doing.” Shinichi bites his lip, shaking his head at the thought of leaving the case alone even if Keibu couldn’t see him. “Keibu, this is _my_ fault. If I hadn’t caught these _stupid_ feelings then he wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“ _Shinichi_ , you can’t control feelings. If such a thing could happen, then we wouldn’t be truly human. Hattori-kun was just in the wrong place in the wrong time, that’s all.” Megure’s voice switches to soothing and Shinichi can’t help the tension leaving his shoulders slightly. Damn the inspector and his fatherly instincts, making Shinichi feel safe and all. All he wants to do is feel angry, angry at himself, at the world, at-

He can’t feel angry at Kid, not full on anger like he would for himself. No, maybe just slight annoyance. He clicks his tongue, because feelings suck, and returns to the conversation.

“Keibu, you won’t be able to change my mind. Which hospital are you at?”

On the other side, he can hear Megure sigh deeply and doesn’t even resist grinning obnoxiously.

* * *

The hospital is as depressing as ever, Shinichi finds, even when he’s running through the halls to find the waiting room. When he busts in, he finds Ran and the other girls already there, consoling a distraught Kazuha as Makoto sits awkwardly in a visitor’s chair. He nods to Makoto who just nods back, sending quick glances to Sonoko every so often.

“How’s-” Is all he manages to get out before he’s literally dragged to a chair to sit down and rest. A crying Kazuha is standing before him and he feels incredibly out of his depth.

“Kazuha-”

“Kudo-kun, what in the world were ya thinkin’, strainin’ yerself and comin’ all the way over here?!” She almost yells at him and he shrinks against the plastic. “Heiji’ll be fine, yer the one who’s dyin’!”

“He got shot in the stomach!” And it’s reason enough to come and catch the man who did it.

“And yer the one who’s got flowers growin’ in his lungs! Put yerself first, Kudo-kun!” Shinichi wants to protest when literally all the girls glare and he finds it better to just stay quiet. Of course, that just has to be the moment two bloody flowers pour from his lips. The coughs echo around the waiting room, sounding violent even to his own ears. Nurses slowly make their way inside with worried eyes as Makoto makes his way over.

“Shinichi…” Ran murmurs as he uncurls, holding a bloody primrose in each hand. There’s a bit of blood he feels trickle down his chin and he only can find himself trapped by Ran’s I-love-you-and-know-what’s-best-for-you-so-don’t-go-against-me gaze. Sweat drips down the nape of his neck as even the other girls frown at him. Ran wipes away the blood trail with a napkin, chastising him. “I think it’s time for you to get that operation.”

* * *

That night, Kid carefully makes his way into the Kudo Mansion. He avoids staying too long in one place, having heard that Meitantei’s parents have (finally) come back for their son. It’s just as he’s moving past the library that he feels someone tug on the back of his black shirt. (His soul almost leaves his body.)

“You know...Wearing black and breaking into this household often has horrible consequences.” A feminine voice purrs in his ear as he tries to collect himself. He only nervously giggles and takes a peek, almost wanting to jump out a window at the glare the Kudo matriach gives him. She's dressed in only a white sleeping gown, but he feels that if they got into a fight, he wouldn't be able to win or escape at all. 

“Kaitou Kid at your service, ma’am. I was looking for your son?” And Kaito prays to almost every deity he can think of that he’ll make it out of this alive. Her grip on his shoulder only tightens as the her eyes narrow.

“Let’s go into the library, shall we, Kid?”

* * *

Yuusaku eyes the young man in front of him. He keeps his expression schooled as this is the young man that broke his son’s heart. Honestly, he really just wants to laugh at him. Covered in black with a black baseball cap hiding his face, as if Yuusaku didn’t already know who he was. He could practically feel the terror rolling off the other man in waves.

“So, Kuroba Kaito, what are your intentions with my son?” His guest jumps at that and Yuusaku revels in the fact. Kaito looks at him, face looking much like a fish’s would with his mouth continuously opening and closing in shock.

“You…?” He basks in the confusion, if only for a moment.

“I knew your father. Now, answer the question.”

“Well,” Kaito starts off, definitely nervous. “I’d like to apologize to him first. And if he allows it, take him out for coffee so we can get to know each other better without anything between us.”

Yuusaku nods, pretending to turn it over and think about it in his head for a few moments until he stares behind Kaito to find Yukiko at the door.

“Yukiko, where is Shinichi now?”

“At the hospital to visit Hattori-kun, but since his condition keeps worsening, Ran-chan is pushing him to get the operation there.” There's a pause of awkward silence, until Yuusaku realizes he's waiting for a response.

They both look at Kaito, who freezes, staring at the rug. Yukiko, saint that she is, moves to gently rouse him. She shakes him on the shoulder for a few moments, patiently waiting for him respond somehow.

“It’s up to Shinichi.” The words echo in the empty library as Kaito turns to Yukiko. “If he decides to get the operation or not, you need to accept his choice. If he doesn’t, then maybe you have a chance to fix all of this. If he does, then will you promise to still be there for him as a friend? He really adores you, Kuroba-kun, and would hate to not have you in his life anymore.”

“Just as long I get to keep him in mine, I don’t care what I have to do.” The determination in his eyes is just enough to actually make Yuusaku crack a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is so short, I just cut it off where I felt it would end best. (I'll most likely make small additions or edits here and there)


	5. Fruition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm has passed, at least for some. The Phantom Thief still has some consequences to face.

Shinichi comes home to a quiet house. All the lights are off and he’s pretty sure that his parents didn’t have plans tonight, so he’s a bit worried. (Then again, said parents are so spontaneous, agents of chaos that they are, they probably didn’t need plans to go out.)

Well, not all the lights, he spies. The library light is on, most likely his father working on something. But knowing his mother, she’d be there too, probably making horrid puns. He takes a deep breath, might as say hello and let them know how everything went.

He knocks on the door. It swings open, light spilling over him as he sees his parents.

His shoulders sag, some unrelieved tension finally leaving him (maybe he was actually scared of them leaving while he was away, like they did when he was younger. That he’d come back to just a sheet of paper saying empty apologies), and he smiles. “I’m home.”

His father stands up from the desk as his mother puts down her book looking slightly confused before smiling brightly at him.

“Welcome home, Shin-chan!”

“Shinichi, welcome home.”

With how much of his life is being derailed by the flowers in his lungs, he lets himself have this. He takes a tentative step forward and then another and another until he stands face to face with his mother. There’s a beat of silence and then he pulls her into a big hug, hiding his face in her shoulder. He lets himself quietly sob, in relief and in frustration and for so many other emotions.

His lungs may be constantly spasming and he may be dying, but at least his parents are finally, physically _here._ So, he hugs his mom and drags his father in as well and tries to face the hole they carved into his soul all those years ago. He pretends that they’ve been here the whole time, that they never left, even if he can only have it for a moment. He lets himself have this.

“Shin-chan.” His mother starts, pulling away slightly to face him as his father ruffles his hair. She wipes away some stray tears and he can only shakily smile. “We have a surprise for you in your bedroom. An apology of sorts.”

“An apology?” Shinichi parrots, tears still falling.

* * *

 Kaito fidgets, trying to find a comfortable way to sit on Shinichi’s bed. He blushes and he doesn’t exactly know why, he’s sat on this bed a million times before. Except only as a friend and not as...Well, someone _interested_ in Shinichi.

He blushes even harder, burying his face in his hands. How does he even explain himself? What does he even say? He can’t be all suave, not with something this delicate. He can’t just word vomit either lest he be misunderstood. He runs his hands through his hair, somehow messing it up even more as he knocks off his hat.

Of course, that just happens to be the moment Meitantei has to walk in.

The two of them freeze at seeing one another. God, Shinichi looks so pretty and tired and Kaito wants to just lay himself at his feet for any punishment he deserves. Because Kaito deserves anything Shinichi wants to throw at him after all the mistakes he’s already made.

“I-Wait, wait, why are you crying?” Panic grips his heart as Shinichi breaks into a fresh round of sobs. Did he do something by coming over? Oh fuck, he’s already messed everything up.

“No, I’m just…” And the detective, _his_ detective, wipes at his eyes, tears still falling. Kaito doesn’t know what to do besides fiddle with the hem of his shirt and look at the floor.

“So, what are you-”

“I just wanted to-”

They stare at each other before Shinichi laughs and swipes at his eyes again. Kaito just starts nervously fidgeting again before motioning for Shinichi to continue.

"Oh! Well, I actually have a lot of questions.” The detective starts, staring at Kaito, as if he’s mesmerized. That’s when he remembers that his hat is gone. Shit. Oh well, Kaito was going to show his face anyways, might as well do it now. “I wouldn’t blame you, Meitantei. Ask as many as you like, I won’t be going anywhere.”

And he sits on the bed, patting the space next to him with a huge grin lighting up his face. The red spreading over Shinichi face looks adorable, Kaito finds. He watches Shinichi shuffle over and something warm fills his chest at how cute the other is being.

“So, Kid, why are you here?”

“To apologize to you, first of all, and to talk.” He picks up his hat with a puff of smoke and a purple hyacinth with another. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past that were hurtful to you and even threaten your life. I don’t deserve forgiveness. I’m so sorry that I was cruel and blind towards your struggles.” He places the flower in the small space between them, focusing on how the detective’s tears still fall.

“You didn’t know.” The detective chokes out after a tense beat of silence, reaching to gently take his offering and smiles so softly at it that something in him aches. Because he almost lost this, almost lost Shinichi and if Lady Fate were cruel enough, she would have ripped the other away a long time ago. How could he be so dense and idiotic? “I never told you outright that I was in love with you, because I didn’t want things to change. I was so scared of everything going wrong and you hating me. After all you were in love with that girl. I didn’t want to come between you two.”

“I-” He pauses, breathe catching in his chest. Fuck. How did he not see this before? How the hell was he so _dumb_? “That girl...Yes, she’s very important to me, but, when she finds out that I’m Kaitou Kid, it’ll only be a matter of time before she leaves.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I’m the one her father chases and has been chasing for the past…” He trails off, counting the years with a sort of nostalgia and heartache. Yes, he has fond memories, but every time he hears Aoko complain, he can’t help but feel slight regret. Only slight, because he chose to become Kid, he chose to make a rift between them and widen it, eventually pushing her into Akako’s arms. At least Akako would always be there when she needed her, a far cry better than what he and Hakuba could ever have done.

“Six years...We’re twenty-two and you’ve been doing this since you were sixteen as you’ve said before so-” Shinichi places a hand over his mouth, looking so embarrassed that it’s endearing and Kaito curses himself again, because _holy shit_.

“Right,” He chuckles, “Six years.” God, he hopes he sounds as fond as he feels, because Shinichi deserves at least that much and so much more. “But as I was saying. Even though I love the girl, I’m not...I’ve become used to the fact that we won’t be more than friends. She’d given up on me a long time ago, I can see the signs, I was just too blind to see that everything had changed.  Blind enough to hurt you.” He leaves _I understand, that if you want to leave me too, I’ve caused so much pain_ unspoken, but is sure enough it gets across when Shinichi furiously shakes his head, tears spilling everywhere.

“Kid, you’re going to have to forgive yourself one day, you can’t just hate yourself forever.” Shinichi turns to face him, wiping the last of his tears away, tentatively placing his hand on top of Kaito’s. Kaito swears his breathe freezes in his chest. “I know you can’t and that you won’t be able to…”

Kaito opens his mouth to protest when a single finger presses against his lips to shush him.

“Because I’ll be there with you to help you love yourself again. I can’t promise everything will be okay everyday, but I’ll stay with you.”

He can’t stop himself from pulling Shinichi closer and almost sobbing into his hair. He lets out a watery laugh, not being able to tell if it’s a sob or not, but still. “I thought I was supposed to be the one confessing to you.”

Shinichi only huffs into his shoulder, running his fingers through his hair.

"Were you planning to?” Is asked into his shoulder as he scrubs at his eyes to wipe away his tears.

“Hmm?”

“Confess, I mean. Were you planning on confessing tonight?”

“Well,” Kaito starts, arm tightening around Shinichi as the other pulls away to look at him with a sly, little smirk. His brain restarts for a second. “I was...It depended on whether you planned to get the surgery after all or not. If you did, then we’d part after the apology and maybe hang out on heists. If you didn’t, well…”

“And if I didn’t?” Shinichi hums.

“If you didn’t, I introduce myself with my real name and ask if you want to maybe join me for coffee next week? It goes a bit something like this…” And Kaito stands up with a flourish, leaving another purple hyacinth tucked behind Shinichi’s ear. He clears his throat theatrically, grabbing the other’s hand and pressing a quick kiss to the back. The red flush spreading across the detective’s cheeks tell him it’s definitely worth it.

“Nice to meet you, Kudo Shinichi. My name’s Kuroba Kaito and I’m gonna be the world’s greatest magician!”

Sure, there’s a few pops of glitter and some streamers (He’s Kid), but the smile Shinichi gives him is blinding.

“Would you like to get coffee with me?”

“I’d love to, Kaito.”

* * *

Shinichi wakes up the next morning, chest lighter than it has been in a month. He can’t stop himself from taking a deep breath and relishes in the fact that his lungs don’t spasm. So he takes in another and another, until he sits up, laughing giddily. He bolts out of bed, running down to the kitchen to find his parents calmly going about their breakfast.

His mother sets down her chopsticks as she stares up at him with a small grin on her face while his father only continues to sip at his coffee.

“You’re certainly in a good mood, Shin-chan!”

“His flowers are gone, Yukiko, of course he’d be in a good mood.” His father drawls out, giving Shinichi a knowing look that he blushes at. “You should have seen how lovestruck he looked when he left, Shinichi, I’m sure he fully regrets ever hurting you.”

“Ah!” His mother shrieks out and Shinichi can’t helping flinching at the noise. She jumps up from the table, the vase in the center rattling dangerously, to rush around and tackle him with a hug so strong, he feels his bones creak. “Shin-chan, I’m so happy for you!”

He can only smile along with her, not believing that this is actually happening.

* * *

Ran notices when she first lays eyes on Shinichi, he seems lighter somehow. Faster too as he dashes toward her, Sera, and Sonoko for their weekly hangout at some new cafe nearby. He grins and that old familiar ache starts up again in her chest, because he hasn’t been that happy in a long while. She grins back as he greets her with a laugh, secretly glad that he wouldn’t go through with the operation even if she scheduled it. Sera grins at her as both Sonoko and Shinichi start bickering about some random thing and in this moment, Ran’s world is alright.

* * *

Kaito doesn’t really know what to expect after he and Shinichi go on a few dates, maybe he gets held up at a heist or even ambushed on the street. What he doesn’t expect is the burner phone the little lady gave him two days ago starts getting notifications. Text messages, a fuck ton of them. Sweat drips down the back of his neck as he slowly reaches for the phone.

He unlocks it, scrolls through the texts. One from the scary scientist, explaining that the SPS will contact him through this and that they all will track him down and make him disappear if he breaks their detective’s heart. A million from both Divisions One and Two with a varying amount of threats. Some from an angry Tantei-han and a few from his girlfriend as well. Two from Tantei-san calling him an idiot and even a few from Aoko too. Even at least a handful from the female detective and Suzuki-san. Yet the scariest one was from Miss Mouri, she sent one and one only.

[Miss Mouri]

**_You break his heart, I will break you apart piece by piece._ **

[Kid]

**_Understood._ **

****And that was the only one he answered.

* * *

Of course, Shinichi’s also under fire from his own Protection Squad, much to his chagrin. He fields call after call from everyone, until he just lets them drone on and hangs up once they’ve finished. He sighs as Nakamori-chan calls again for the third night in a row.

“I still don’t believe you fell in love with that thief.” Crackles through his cell phone speaker, he covers it and sighs before uncovering to talk.

“You’re bound to make a bond with someone after going through about several near death experiences together. It doesn’t help that he’s also a gentleman who challenges me.” Shinichi says, feeling like he’s repeated this sentence before. Which he has, about nine times.

“He’s a no good thief who’s good at magic and ripping people’s families apart.” Shinichi winces. Right, Kaito told him about that before.

“Aoko-kun…”

“Right, right, Shinichi-kun. Just be careful and let me know if that bastard ever hurts you. I’ll kick his ass.”

“Thanks, Aoko-kun.”

* * *

Nakamori-keibu groans as the thief send another flying kiss toward Kudo-kun. His men shift awkwardly around as Hakuba-kun looks as if he’s about to have a heart attack. Kudo only flushes a brilliant red and punts a soccer ball that came from nowhere, sending it probably into space with how far it flies.

He can only hit his forehead with the palm of his hand, feeling too many emotions at once. On one hand, he’s happy that Kudo-kun isn’t dying anymore, but on the other, why did it have to be that stupid thief?

Said stupid thief launches a few fireworks into the sky that create a heart and all Nakamori feels for Kudo-kun is pity and amusement, because Kudo could always do worse than a thief with a rule of harming no one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, we only have the epilogue left, you guys! Thank you for reading and do let me know if you find any errors. I'll do my best to fix them as fast as I can. The epilogue will have to wait a bit as I need to figure which scenes I want to and can write. Thank you all so much!


	6. Epilogue: Orange Blossoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some scenes of life afterwards, the good days that Kaito and Shinichi will always hold in their hearts.

Eventually, Kaito and Shinichi get married. It takes a few years of constant disguises on Kaito’s part, everlasting patience on Shinichi’s, and constant vigilance on both to figure out if they’re being followed on their latest date or when the news crews start stalking them. Still, Kaito proposes with the shards of Pandora at his feet, sweeping Shinichi up into his arms and peppering the detective’s face in kisses. As the shards turn to dust, it’s then that the police helicopter shines its light on them. Over the deafening whirr of it’s blades and the thumping of his heart in his ears (They just got caught by the police and he really shouldn’t be embarrassed, because this is the probably 11th time, but guess what? He still is.), he hears it whispered into his ear.

“Detective...Will you marry me?.” Shinichi’s breathe catches in his throat, because _holy shit_ . And then Kaito’s putting him down and getting on one knee and there’s a _ring_. Shinichi’s ears are so red, the helicopter must be seeing it, because even they’re flying away to give the two of them space.

“Yes,” He breathes out after a moment of silence, seeing how Kaito’s hands shake. “Yes, of course I will Kaito.”

And he’s swept up into another hug as Kaito’s relieved laughter fills the rooftop. He’s twirled a few times before the laughter just bubbles up inside him and he starts laughing along. His fingers curl behind Kaito’s ears, a warmth spreading through his chest as he leans down to chastely kiss his now fiance on the lips. He then presses another and another until Kaito sets him down, a warmed glove settling comfortably on his hip as the other gently cups his face. The thief presses a last kiss to his face, humming contently as his eyes flutter open.

“Why’d you stop?” Shinichi pouts, fingers absentmindedly playing with Kaito’s earlobes.

Kaito sighs, leaning into the touch. “Darling if we don’t stop now, we won’t be able to get home on time to make out more later.”

A deep sigh leaves him as he can’t help cracking a small smile. “You’re right.” And he presses another kiss before stepping away, his ring finger feeling a little heavier.

Kaito Kid disappears in a puff of smoke as Shinichi’s left on the rooftop. Nakamori-keibu gruffly congratulates him as the Task Force excitedly cheers in the background and Shinichi can't stop himself from grinning like an idiot, even as Saguru-kun looks like he's having a heart attack.

* * *

The ceremony is quiet, despite both of their phones (in Kid’s case, his burner) blowing up with friends both congratulating them and complaining at the fact that they weren’t invited.

“About time.” Ran’s voice crackles through the speaker as Shinichi wedges his phone between his shoulder and his ear. He swipes a bite of cake while Kaito’s gone in the bathroom to touch up on his disguise. “You two have been disgustingly sappy ever since he confessed. Always leaving each other riddles in your mailbox and flirting during heists, it was gross.”

Shinichi rolls his eyes, shifting in his tux. The cafe was a bit too cozy for his liking, but Kaito deemed it a good enough place to have their first bite of cake as a pair of newlyweds. He takes another bite of his lemon pie, cheeks flushing at how Kaito told him that his tux fit him a bit too well. He mentally scoffs, not wanting to waste perfectly good lemon pie, as if the tux Kaito was wearing was any better. It left very little to imagination and Shinichi often found himself conflicted between showing Kaito off to gloat about how great his husband was or hide him until their honeymoon is over. He gives Ran a quick goodbye as he spots Kaito leaving the bathroom, clicking the phone closed even as she complains.

Kaito plops into his seat, swiping a piece of lemon pie off of Shinichi’s plate to get his attention. Shinichi gives him a once over before flashing him a small smile. Today’s disguise is surprisingly inconspicuous, yet somewhat attractive. No scars or different colored eyes, but just a handsome young man with slicked brown hair and beautiful indigo eyes-

He stops in his tracks, because that’s Kaito’s real face and he’s wearing it in public where everyone can see him. Shinichi’s both horrified and incredibly flattered, he wars between the two before gulping down his coffee and asking.

“Uh...The disguise? Wh-What happened to it?”

“Oh! It honestly just felt way too constricting to deal with anymore. Plus, I thought that you should at least see me in this before the day’s over.” Kaito flashes an award winning smile and Shinichi feels something in him go all soft and warm. Damnit.

“Well…” Shinichi bites at his lip, making sure the turn up the charm and stare at Kaito up through his eyelashes. “I was planning on seeing you in it later, when we were in bed.”

Something in him outright cackles inside as he watches Kaito choke on his hot chocolate slightly, his eyes widening as his face goes red. Serves him right, Shinichi thinks, for making such comments about him as they headed up the stairs to the courthouse.

* * *

It’s three weeks after they get married at the courthouse that Shinichi wakes up weight on his side and a slobbery tongue licking the side of his face. He startles and pushed the weight away, eyes snapping open at the whine. He turns and his jaw drops at the sight of a pure white Akita sitting on Kaito’s side of the bed. His stomach drops at first, somehow thinking that his husband’s been turned into a dog by Akako-san again.  

“God, Kaito, what did you do?” He sort of yell-whispers at the dog, feeling the first pangs of frustration well up inside of him.

“I got us a dog?” And in walks his husband, cleaned up nicely in a dress shirt and black slacks. He turns to stare between the dog sitting in his husband’s space and the idiot he calls his husband. Shinichi takes in a deep breath and then sighs. At least he doesn’t have to go floundering around, playing charades with his husband in the shape of a dog again.

“And what exactly made this such a good idea?”

“Before I put you to bed, because we honestly got sort of drunk last night, you were rambling about how great it would be to have a dog to help you on cases. Akitas are fairly intelligent and big enough to be intimidating, so I thought ‘why not?’ and got him from the pound.” Kaito shrugs and Shinichi just falls back into bed. He stares at the the mass of fur as it lays down to fully stretch out, he runs his hand through it’s fur. It’s softer than expected and doesn’t stop him from pulling the happy pup into a hug, burying his face into the crown of its head.

“What’s his name?” It’s slightly slurred and muffled by all the fur, enough that Kaito leans over as he slips off his shirt. Shinichi blinks for a moment, lifting his head to speak clearly, “What’s his name?”

“Oh, his name’s Peanut.” Kaito begins as his socks disappear in a poof of smoke and he makes his way to bed. “His old name was Jojo or something like that, didn’t really fit him.” Is all Shinichi gets as explanation before he scoots over to let Kaito wrap his arms around his waist.

With the combination of rhythmic breathing surrounding him and the lazy feel of the mid morning sun barely brightening the room, it doesn’t take long for him to be lulled to sleep. The world can wait, he thinks as Kaito makes a sort of snuffling noise into his neck that Peanut copies, he just wants to bask in this moment.

* * *

The kids visit soon enough, just as Kaito’s about to leave to scope out another heist location. With the kids’ full attention focused on the dog, he slips out easy enough, kissing Shinichi on the corner of his lips in goodbye. Shinichi holds him for a second, pressing a small device into his hand and a quick kiss onto his temple.

“Let me know if something goes wrong, Kaito.” He murmurs before going back inside to distract the Detective Boys with one last fond look, leaving Kaito to stumble to a nearby alleyway with his face blushing an almost radioactive red.

It takes him a moment or two to get his Poker Face back into place, shoving the image of absolute adoration in Shinichi’s eyes into a pocket of his heart for darker days.

* * *

The two of them curl up on the couch in the library, sharing a blanket as they look through an album or two of Shinichi’s baby photos. The fire is crackling in the background, providing warmth and a comfortable atmosphere. Kaito hums, content, as Shinichi’s snuggling into his side, Kaito takes the chance to rest his cheek on the crown of his husband’s head. Peanut stretches at their feet, whining enough that Kaito takes a moment to scoot and let him on the couch before returning to next to Shinichi. Peanut slots himself against the the end of the couch and Kaito’s thigh, resting his head on his master’s lap as his other master slowly reaches a hand to rub the space between his eyes, lulling him into sleep.

Kaito smiles softly at the sight, glancing over at Shinichi as he drags a violinist’s finger across the page before carefully turning it to see the other side. He shifts slightly to see the nostalgic look on his husband’s face and he basks in the warmth curling and spreading throughout his chest. He leans over Shinichi’s shoulder, kissing behind his ear and all over his face to get him to turn around.  It works, considering how the detective sets down the album carefully to shift to face him.

“What is it, sweetheart?” His husband hums, carding his fingers through Kaito’s unruly hair. He tries not shiver at the sensation, but fails, feeling himself go slightly slack into the other’s embrace.

“I love you, Shinichi.” And Kaito gently presses a kiss to the corner of Shinichi’s eyelid, causing the other man to close that eye. He doesn’t really stop himself from planting more kisses all over the his face, murmuring sweet nothings as he does. When he finally pulls back, he smiles at how flushed Shinichi is and how glazed over his eyes are. There’s a beat of comfortable silence as Kaito lets Shinichi gather his thoughts.

“I love you too,” His voice is distracted and spaced out as Kaito tucks an orange blossom behind his ear. “And I’m not exactly against all the affection, but why now?”

“Why not?” Kaito chuckles, “there’s a fire place and we’re together alone, mostly.” He sneaks a side glance at the asleep Peanut in his lap, before cupping Shinichi’s cheek and pulling him in for another kiss. “Can’t I kiss my husband in the privacy of our own home?”

“Of course,” Shinichi rasps out, hands coming up to cup Kaito’s face and pull him in. He exhales and loses himself in the multiple kisses that happen after, only coming back when Peanut hops off the couch and Shinichi pushes him back to lay on him. The detective stares up at him with a lazy, content smile and Kaito swears his heart practically expands.

Briefly, he thanks every deity he knows for allowing him to have the chance to spend the rest of his life with Shinichi, before his husband’s thumbs hook comfortably behind his ears and those fingers splay out to smother his face in kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the end! Thank you all so much for checking out this story and supporting me as I wrote this. It's bittersweet to be finishing this fully, but hey, the boys got their happy end as promised. Absynthe Chapter Two will have to wait a bit as I have a flight and work that'll take some free time away, but I'll do my best to update as I usually do.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a Kudos or a comment if you liked, thank you for reading!


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